The typical distributed computer system includes multiple interconnected nodes, connection devices, and a connection medium. One common example of a distributed computer system is the Internet. Through the Internet, nodes in one region of the world are able to communicate with nodes in a different region.
Communication between the client and the server is typically achieved using a variety of communication standards. For example, communication may be performed using SOAP. SOAP is a standard for exchanging XML-based messages typically using HTTP. Specifically, in SOAP messages include a header with an envelope and a body. The header contains relevant information about a message and the body typically includes the message formatted with XML tags.
Another communication standard is Representational State Transfer (REST). In REST, a client makes a request to a server using well-defined operations. Neither, the client nor the server needs to keep track of the state between requests. Similar to SOAP, REST also typically uses the HTTP protocol.
Services, such as web services and network services, typically use the communication to provide functionality to one or more clients. Specifically, a client may send a request to a service. The service processes the request and may or may not send a result back to the client.
For example, a client may desire a computer program product. Accordingly, the customer on a client accesses the website of a merchant's web service through a web browser and submits a request and payment for the computer program product. The web service processes the requests and makes the corresponding computer program available for download to the client. Once the client downloads the computer program product, the client may install the computer program product and execute the program.
Large entities, such as companies, educational institutions, and other organizations often use web services to provide functionality to the employees of the large entity. For example, administrators may access various websites to determine how to keep the computer systems on the large entity current. In order to access the information, the administrator typically uses a web browser and finds the website of the vendors. Once at the website, the administrator must search through the information and determine which components require updating. Next, the administrator typically installs the updates from the Internet.